In industrial settings, control systems are used to monitor and control inventories of industrial and chemical processes, and the like. Typically, the control system that performs these functions uses field devices distributed at key locations in the industrial process and coupled to control circuitry in the control room by a process control loop. The term “field device” refers to any device that performs a function in a distributed control or process monitoring system, including all devices used in the measurement, control and monitoring of industrial processes.
Some field devices include a transducer which couples to the process fluid. A transducer is understood to mean either a device that generates an output signal based on a physical input or that generates a physical output based on an input signal. Typically, a transducer transforms an input into an output having a different form. Types of transducers include various analytical equipment, pressure sensors, thermistors, actuators, solenoids, indicator lights, and others.
Field devices, such as process variable sensors used in industrial processes can be installed in the field on pipelines, tanks and other industrial process equipment. Such devices sense process variables such as process fluid flow, process fluid temperature, process fluid pressure, process fluid conductivity, process fluid pH and other process variables. Other types of industrial process field devices include valves, actuators, field controllers, data displays and communication equipment such as industrial field network bridges.
One type of process variable sensor is a flow meter that can measure a rate of fluid flow, for example. One type of flow meter, which employs an averaging pitot tube (APT), is a popular device for flow measurement because of its ability to be inserted into and retracted from a flow line, its low pressure loss, relatively low cost and reliable performance. The APT senses and averages pressures from multiple locations across a pipeline through which a process fluid is traveling. This average pressure is then used in conjunction with flow theory and experimentally determined quantities to provide a flow measurement for the fluid. One type of APT is the Annubar® APT available from Dieterich Standard, Inc. of Boulder, Colo. At least for Annubar® type APTs, it is required that the APT span the process pipeline such that multiple samples across a section of the pipeline can be averaged to account for variations in flow across the section.
Because of different customer needs, installation requirements, etc., manufacturers of APT type probes and transmitters typically have to manufacture and stock a number of different sizes of the APT probes to accommodate different pipe diameters. Further, different APT probes or transmitters are manufactured and stocked to accommodate different types of connections to the process pipeline. As a result, manufacturing is made more complex and expensive. Further, longer lead times for getting APT probes or transmitters to customers are common.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.